WestJet says its operations have “stabilized” after a strike by its unionized airline mechanics over the Canada Day weekend disrupted travel plans for thousands of passengers.
The Calgary-based airline is projecting “minimal” cancellations due to the strike, with eight scheduled for July 4 and none expected July 5 thus far.
Despite a return to normal operations, the airline is still urging customers to confirm their flights.
“Guests with imminent travel plans are advised to check the status of their flight prior to leaving for the airport,” WestJet said in a July 3 press release.
WestJet was forced to ground 130 of the airline’s 180 planes during a three-day strike by its mechanics, forcing the cancellation of 1,171 flights since June 27.
The strike, which began June 28 and concluded late in the evening of June 30, derailed flights for tens of thousands of travellers over the holiday weekend. The company grounded 292 flights on Canada Day alone.
Flight disruptions continued for several days despite the end of the strike as WestJet scrambled to transport hundreds of crew members to the airports where its planes were grounded.
Only the five largest airports where WestJet planes were parked—Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg—have crew bases. Pilots and flight attendants had to travel to the remaining eight airfields to get those planes up and running, a process that delayed flights for days.
“We are grateful to be recovering our operation,” WestJet Airlines president and Group Chief Operating Officer Diederik Pen said in a press release at the time. “We fully recognize the continued impact on our guests and sincerely appreciate their patience and understanding.”
The 680 workers who walked off the job last week were directed by The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) to return to work after a tentative deal was reached late in the day on June 30, the union said in a press release.
The strike occurred despite the June 28 directive of federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) that the agency impose binding arbitration on the parties.
Binding arbitration involves a hearing before a neutral arbitrator who considers submissions from both sides before making a legally binding decision.
The board allowed the strike despite Mr. O'Regan’s request.
Workers still have to vote on the tentative deal, which the union has said gives the mechanics an immediate 15.5 percent wage increase, followed by an increase of 3.25 percent in 2025 and 2.5 percent each year for the final three years of the five-year contract. Additional benefits and increased overtime rates were also included in the agreement.
